Thomas l



Aug. 5, 1924.

' T. L. KERR METHOD OF BLENDING G ASOLINE Filed May 25 1921 Patented Aug, 5, 1924,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L BIGI-IEAR'I, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNO'E 0E ONE-HALF TO KOBK KELLEY, 01* DALLAS, TEXAS.

METHOD OF BLENDING GASOLINE.

Application filed May 25, 1921,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. KERR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bigheart, in the county of Osage and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Blend ing Gasoline; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention primarily is to provide a commercial gasoline or fuel for explosion engines under conditions and a method involving less complication and more stable resultant product than by the meth ods heretofore in use and which existing methods involve more or less essentially the mixing together of casing head gasoline and an oil of greater specific gravity such as naphtha, kerosene or the like, and one of the principal objections to the present methods resides in the fact that the product is subject to stratification or lacks stability or permanence of composition.

The casing head gasoline is too high or light in gravity, running usually about eighty-five per cent Baume for practical use, owing to its high coeiiicient of volatility and low boiling point, and consequently the chiliculty of handling the same without great waste, and it is therefore necessary for prac tical purposes to reduce the grade on the Baum scale as to gravity to approximately seventy degrees and to raise the boiling point, and to accomplish this object 1 proceed as follows:

Essentially the invention consists in jointly distilling the liquids of different specific gravities either in relative proportions or of relative specific gravities neces sary to produce the desired combination, and combining the vapors thereof and then mutually condensing the vapors. In other words the method consists essentially in combining the constituents of the product while in a vaporous condition and then condensing them in one operation.

For this purpose I use gasoline of the grade usually termed casing head gasoline, just as it comes from the well and place the smile and the blending agency such as kerosene in difierent stills with the outlets there- Serial No. 472,326.

of so connected as to blend the vapors discharged therefrom, and then recondense the blended vapors by any suitable means, such as that indicated in the accompanying draw ing illustrating a typical form of apparatus, wherein the gasoline still is indicated at 10, the still for blending agency at 11, the mixing chamber at 12 and the condensing coil at 13, and the receiving tank at 14.

I have found in practice that in the distillation of the kerosene or like material used as a blending agency the lighter hydro-can bone or those of less specific gravity go over first as obviously is natural and therefore in order to maintain the unifiin-m or homogeneous character of the product I preferably duplicate still 11, and after the lighter hydro-carbons have been carried over from the still 11 I draw the residue from that still into the still 11 Where I subject it to a higher temperature, continuing this operation to effect a combination or blending of the vapors of all three densities in the mixing chamber. In the same way the blended vapors of relatively difierent densities are condensed in one operation.

By following this procedure in essential features it is possible to produce practically any grade or specific gravity of the product and to vary the boiling point as may be required and consequently the proof or ignition point to insure any required degree of safety, and have found in practice that there is no tendency whatsoever for the prod not thus produced to stratify as is the case where the combination is effected by blend ing the liquids or blending the ingredients while in a liquid form.

While in the foregoing description and also for convenience in the claims hereto appended the terms used have specifically included gasoline, kerosene and the like, it

should be understood that by the former is meant any high grade, low proof and highly volatile fuel or product which it may be desired to blend down or reduce in volatility, while the second applies to and includes any appropriate product or oil of relatively low grade and high proof of less volatility or lower coefficient of volatility which in the blend will serve to neutralize or modify or lower the standard or grade of volatility of the product and thereby raise the proof thereof for reasons of safety in handling With the consequent reduction of risk in that connection.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is l. A method of producing a commercial gasoline Which consists in vaporizing casing head gasoline, vaporizing kerosene of a lower specific gravity, combining the vapors of the gasoline and kerosene and finally condensing the blended vapors.

2. The method of producing a hydrocarbon oil consisting in commin'gling the separate vapors o1 casinghead gasoline and vapors from a product of petroleum oil, and condensing said vapors to a liquid state.

3. The method of making a hydrocarbon oil which includes distilling casing head gasoline, distilling a heavier hydrocarbon oil,

commingling their vapors, and condensing the cominingled vapors.

4. The method of making hydrocarbon oil which includes boiling a hydrocarbon oil of greater volatility than commercial gasoline, boiling a heavier hydrocarbon oil, connniiigling their vapors and condensing the coinmingled vapors.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS L. KERR. Witnesses E. M. COFFEY, E. B. GRAY. 

